Teaching Online: COVID-19 Edition

A response to the WIIFM Activity
created by Stephanie Ferguson (@stpark)

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Traditionally, instructors and students who took part in online courses were willing participants who made the choice to teach and learn in that environment.  Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic, faculty members were definitely dealt a big “Because you have to!” answer without really having the chance to even ask the question, “What’s in it for me?” Fortunately, even though it was a sudden and forced introduction, faculty have been able to appreciate there is value and acknowledge the benefits that teaching online has to offer. (Note: rest assured that rose-coloured glasses were not issued prior to generating the following WIIFM responses, but I do encourage at least trying on a pair once in a while if needed. 😀 )

Image by Mabel Amber from Pixabay 

Here are some really encouraging responses to the “What’s in it for me?” question when asked by faculty who have to transition to remote teaching:

  • the privilege that this alternate option exists for teaching;  not only so that faculty could keep working during the pandemic but also so that students could continue learning 
  • this might not be the last pandemic (or other environmental situation) that will require more remote teaching in the future, so they will be prepared if/when it happens again
  • online learning is not going anywhere, so it’s an excellent opportunity to open the door to future possibilities that you may not have explored otherwise
  • gives an appreciation to other teaching methods/mediums that can only serve to make your own teaching richer
  • it is a chance to go through your course, refresh the material and really think about what’s working and what hasn’t been (for both you and your students)
  • it’s a great time to reflect on the sentiment, “Just because things have always been done a certain way, doesn’t mean they should continue to be done that way.” Example: challenge your ideas around assessments. 
  • it provides the opportunity to learn a ton of new digital skills that you might not have been interested in or brave enough to try otherwise
  • it is such a great time to learn because everyone is learning together. There aren’t any pre-existing expectations that anything or anyone should be perfect right now.
  • it’s good to be pushed out of our comfort zone. It can inspire creative and new approaches
  • the more you familiarize yourself and become comfortable with the tools, the more they can enhance your teaching instead of them solely feeling like an obstacle
  • closing the tech gap between teachers and students can only have a positive effect
  • prior to Covid, most faculty were probably using about 10% of  Blackboard’s functionality. Moving forward, many faculty are excited to adopt a more blended learning approach. They plan on using Blackboard in a more complementary way to their F2F teaching when things return to the new “normal”. 
  • it is definitely a large investment of time and effort at the start, but it is not wasted time, only gets easier and pays off in the long run – if not sooner
  • there is the opportunity to connect with students that you weren’t able to connect with previously AND to connect with students in ways you weren’t able to connect with them before
  • last but not least….YOU MIGHT REALLY ENJOY IT!!! 🙂